


Five Times Mouse Swore Turbo Would Pay

by Tygermama



Category: ReBoot (TV)
Genre: Gen, POV First Person
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-23
Updated: 2013-12-23
Packaged: 2018-01-05 17:43:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1096730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tygermama/pseuds/Tygermama
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The events of the later half of the second season from Mouse's POV.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Five Times Mouse Swore Turbo Would Pay

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Izhilzha](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Izhilzha/gifts).



1

It was supposed to be an easy score. You’d think by now I’d know better. There is no such thing as an easy score. Any job, all jobs, must be approached with caution. Backgrounds checked, contingencies planned for, as little as possible left to chance.

And you always have to live with the knowledge that at any time, the job can and will go south. You will be betrayed.

That’s how you end up in a Guardian holding cell. A bunch of basic recruits preening, overly smug and thinking they got me all tied up.

This is what happens when I'm bored and curious. I walk into traps just to see what'll happen.

I'm starting to think I need a better hobby.

The door hisses open. The recruits snap to attention like their mamas are walking in the door.

“Turbo. I figured you were behind all this.” I say, slouching into the wall of the holding cell.

Turbo leans against the wall, arms crossed, just as arrogant in his assumption that he’s got me just where he wants me as his peons.

“Who told you?” he says.

Well, now I’m just insulted.

“I’m not that stupid, Turbo. I knew something was up as soon as your agent made contact. Any basic hacker could have done this job.” I shake off my shackles and stand up, stretching my arms over my head, watching Turbo pretend he’s not watching me. “I just wanted to see how far you were willing to go.”

Turbo just smiles and sighs, condescendingly shaking his head. “Same ol’Mouse.”

Oh, sweet man, you’re going to pay for that.

2

I never did get around to asking Turbo why he just didn’t contact Bob directly. Some hogwash about ‘need to know’ and ‘containment’ I expect.

When I saw what was left of the first victim, I promised myself that Turbo would know, in stark detail, about the suffering he allowed to happen.

I may not be a good guy but I don’t let people get hurt when I know all it takes is a simple vidwindow call to save them.

None of this had to happen.

3

Guardian protocol?

Decimating entire systems?

Turbo put a micro-explosive on me?

_Me?_

Why that low-down, dirty, two-faced, virus-sucking son-of-a…

Guardians. Mend and Defend. Cute uniforms, not much of a sense of humour.

They aren’t supposed to let sprites die.

There has to be another way, another option.

How can they think-

No time for this now. 

Gotta save Dot. Got a web creature to stop. 

Time to gut Turbo and feed him to the Web later.

4

Hearing Bob’s voice again after the explosion, I finally realize I’ve been holdin’ my breath.

I’m trembling a little as I float above the streets of Mainframe, squinting up into the light of the web portal spinning above us.

Kinda beautiful, for something that’s going to destroy us if we let it.

This ain’t gonna be no simple fight. 

This is war.

“Mouse?” 

I turn to face Dot, fighting down my shame.

“This was not your fault.” She says, putting her hand on my shoulder.

I shrug her off, “Then who’s is it, Dot? I’m the one who let Turbo snooker me. I’m the one that brought that explosive into Mainframe. I knew I shoulda just told Bob what was going on but I just… Got cocky, I guess. Playin’ Guardian. Gonna save the day.”

Dot shakes her head, “Don’t think like that. This isn’t over yet. We’re going to need you if we’re going to get through this. You with me?”

Dot looks at me. All earnest. Not that I’ve ever seen her not bein’ earnest. It’s one of the things I like about her, I guess.

I could just leave.

Get in my ship and get outta Dodge while the gettin’s good.

But it’s Bob’s home now.

And I like Mainframe too. Against all expectation, I like the people here.

I like Dot and Enzo and AndrAIa.

Even Fong. Cute little fusspot that he is.

I can’t just leave. Not now.

“I’m with you.” I say. “We best get movin’. The web ain’t gonna wait for us.”

“We better head back to the Principal Office." Dot says, "Bob will meet us there, I’m sure.”

As I follow Dot, I think about Turbo. About the Guardians. About the kinda sprites who’d let people die without givin’ em a chance to fight.

None of this should have happened and Turbo’s going to pay for letting it happen - 

and for making me a part of it.

5

The plan Bob came up with was, well, the only shot we had.

Megabyte building the hardware.

Hexadecimal powering it.

Fong providing the software.

And me in the driver’s seat, hacking the web in the middle of the firestorm.

Any port in a war, I suppose.

Still, we were exactly swimming in options and Dot had my back.

That was something.

~

Standing in the Principal Office Armoury, I had to admit, Mainframe might not be the Supercomputer, but it wasn’t going down without a fight. I had no idea they had this kind of ordinance stockpiled.

Dot's work. She's always plannin' ahead.

Everyone was nervous. Hell, I was nervous.

I’ve worked with Viruses before but none of them made my skin crawl the way Megabyte does.

I try to put it from my mind, concentrate on my work.

Hack the web codes? Enable the shutdown of the portal?

Easy. Could do this in my sleep.

Hack the web itself? Erase Mainframe’s location and hopefully keep anything like this from ever happening again?

Won’t break a sweat.

Do all this in the middle of a warzone while a creepy, condescending virus breathing down my neck?

Depends? When can I slice up the virus?

~

Bob?

BOB!

~

Can’t save Bob now.

Need to get Dot out of here.

Stupid witch.

Stupid me. I knew there was a double-cross coming, I just figured they’d wait until the portal was closed before they made their move.

Stupid.

Oh, Bob sugar…

Turbo, you dumb bastard.

Kick my ship into high gear.

Get to the Principal Office.

Regroup.

As we speed away, I think about what's brought me here. To this place.

The systems. The games.

The people, good and bad.

I'm not leaving these people. This is my place now.

And I aim to defend it.

We're gonna need a new plan.

This ain’t a war anymore.

It’s survival.


End file.
